Moments in Time
by alijoz97
Summary: A collection of unrelated drabbles dedicated to James and Lily.
1. Snow

James Potter loved the snow. Particularly at Hogwarts.

There was the fact that the snow covered every inch of the grounds, draping the Whomping Willow in a permanent state of sighing to remove the glistening white stuff from its branches. He figured the tree must find the snow annoying, and despite not being a tree himself, James couldn't understand why. The snow was beautiful, holding everything outside in a crystalline moment. The gamekeeper's hut was immaculate, smoke billowing in lazy rings from the fireplace, trying to contain the warmth inside when it definitely wasn't outside. The Forbidden Forest, during the day, looked peaceful and tranquil and welcome to fluffy bunnies and rainbows. At night, however, the snow illuminated the darkness surrounding the Forest, how it used the pure snow to drape itself in shadows and cloak itself in darkness. James wouldn't've been surprised to see Voldemort himself emerge from the Forest.

But, most of all, James enjoyed the snow because of its ability to be packed into a ball, and tossed at Sirius. And Peter and Remus.

But mostly Sirius.

It was a Saturday, and the Marauders were outside, having quite the competitive snowball fight. Sirius and Remus were losing considerably, which made James and Peter extremely happy. He was just about to launch the winning shot when he, James, got a snowball right to the face.

He heard Sirius gasping for breath in between laughter. Remus snorted, and Peter was frowning. The shot hadn't come from the other team's side. It was an unfair shot. It was—

"So much for being a top-class Quidditch player," a girl's voice rang out. Whether it was the clarity of the day or the girl herself, James didn't know. As he wiped the snow from his eyes, he knew that nothing would be as beautiful as Lily Evans standing in the snow with a scarf tied around her neck, her gloves deliciously wet from having just thrown a snowball at his face.

"I thought you were supposed to be quick with reflexes and what not," she teased, edging closer. James shook his head out and wiped at his glasses, wondering if he was dreaming.

"Nice shot, Evans!" Sirius cried at the girl. Lily grinned wickedly. "Prongs, I want her on my team—you can take Moody. He's not as good as he claims to be."

Remus thumped Sirius on the back as the other boy howled with laughter again.

James turned back to Lily, wondering why she hadn't left yet. She looked slightly out of place with a dark blue winter coat and a pair of pink earmuffs that clashed horribly with her hair.

"D'you want to join us?" James asked, jerking his head back towards the game. He was rewarded with another brilliant smile from the brilliant witch. For some reason, he couldn't feel his chest. He blamed it on the cold.

"I'd _love_ to," she grinned, stooping down to scoop up a handful of snow and pack it into her perfect, tiny snowball. Peter had gone to retreat to the other side, making it three against two. And as Lily crawled down behind the haphazardly-made fort Peter and he had made as a blockade, her shoulder brushing against his, he knew that as much as he loved the snow, it didn't hold a candle to Lily Evans.

Particularly after she nailed Sirius in the face with a snowball three times in a row.


	2. Decisions

She fell asleep on his chest in the common room, her cheek resting lazily on his chest as he propped his Transfiguration homework up, trying not to disturb his girlfriend or accidentally use her face as a backboard for his quill.

She breathed in puffs, her cinnamon scent wafting over him in bursts that nearly drove him insane as her hair curled over his chest and tickled his wrists. Her legs tangled with his, and if James wasn't mistaken, he would've called this moment right now perfection.

Of course, somebody had to come and screw it up.

"James?" he heard a tiny voice ask. James resisted the urge to groan and chuck his homework at the offender, but he jerked his head to turn to the beholder of the voice.

"Er, Veronica, right?" James wondered, pinching himself for not remembering the smaller girl's name. Lily always remembered names—she knew the name of everybody in the school. Whether that was a Lily thing or a Head-Girl thing, James didn't know. But considering how he was Head Boy, and _he_ couldn't even remember if his own Gryffindor in front of him was Veronica or Violet, he assumed it was the former.

She nodded, a smile growing on her thin lips. James sighed deeply, happy for the slight win in a world full of losses. Lily stirred against him, burrowing her face into the fabric of his shirt.

"What's up?" James asked finally, when Veronica didn't say anything. She was tugging on her white-blonde hair, her lips pursed tightly.

"I was, uh, wondering if you could help me with my Potions homework?" she looked back at her abandoned chair in the corner as she bit on her lower lip worriedly. "Slughorn has been really hammering us on the properties of the, er, Moving Potion? I don't really know…" she continued talking, but James (admittedly) tuned her out. He didn't exactly _want_ to help. He wanted to work on his Transfiguration homework and relish in the feeling of Lily using him as a pillow and sneak down to the kitchens later because he knew she'd be hungry when she woke up. Besides, James was right rubbish at the subject. Now, the girl lying on top of him….

But he was Head Boy, and if Dumbledore seemed to think there was something worthwhile in him, who was he to turn this first—second?—year down?

"Yeah, Veronica," he sighed, glancing down at Lily with a mix of sadness. "Sure."

She beamed. Her tiny, thin face broke into a smile bordering giddy and crazy, but James didn't mind. He supposed he liked thinking he was important enough for others to come and ask him for help. Admittedly, all of the younger students always asked for Lily.

"Er, great!" she cried, jumping slightly, relief washing over her face. "That's fantastic, thank you so much—really, thank you. I'll, er, give you a second?" she nodded as if this made sense, considering how James wasn't exactly physically able to join in the enthusiasm and jump up and down with her. "I'll give you a second," she repeated. "Just find me at my table, okay?"

"No problem," James muttered, shoving his own homework into the bag leaning against the couch. Veronica disappeared, leaving James with a sleeping Lily.

"Lily," he breathed into her ear, rubbing her back in slow motions. Her eyes fluttered open sleepily, causing James to wince with guilt for waking her up. "I'm going to help Veronica with her homework. But I can't exactly do that with you on me, love," he grinned at her, and she wriggled off of him, curling up against the couch.

"Come back soon," she murmured, planting tiny sleepy kisses on his neck. James allowed his eyelids to flutter—yes, actual flutterage—at the contact. "It's colder without you here."

"I'll be back in a bit," he sighed reluctantly, wanting nothing more than to curl back on the couch and lull her back to sleep. She reached for his shirt, bringing his ear close to her lips so she could whisper something else to him.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered finally, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "You're so sweet and caring and perfect and I think Hogwarts is lucky to have you as a Head Boy." She kissed his jaw and ran her fingers through his hair, watching with dazed, wide eyes as he pulled back.

James dragged his bag over to a squirming Veronica, glancing back at Lily. Her back was arched, arms flung carelessly over the side of the couch. Her standard-issue Hogwarts skirt was riding up, showing off her milky thighs. With her head turned, her hair managed to spill over the fabric of the couch, somehow standing out against the Gryffindor red.

Merlin, was he thinking about anything but caring and sweet thoughts right now.

"Sorry for interrupting you, James," Veronica said carefully, watching him as he stared at Lily. He clenched his jaw and counted to three before turning back to the tiny girl, flashing her a wide smile. He'd have time—_lots_ of time—with Lily later. And she'd be more rested, then…

"Don't worry, Veronica, it's part of the job. Now…what potion was it that you were having trouble with, again?"


End file.
